Customer Reviews

Ys

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Well, I actually want to give it a three and a half star rating, but I'm not given that option. Well, there are some people that regard this as one of the greatest prog albums ever made. I wouldn't go that far, but the album is so intense it just simply blows me away. Listen to this, and you'll be comparing King Crimson and Van der Graaf Generator with Neil Diamond, Barry Manilow, The Carpenters, Air Supply, trust me, this music is totally insane with killer guitar work with tones of Emerson-like keyboard work (particularly in the Hammond organ department) and some Mellotron. Not to mention insane drumming and powerful vocals. Then why on Earth am I not giving it the full five stars? Well near the end, the band really slacked off and starts becoming rather repetitive and tedious. I can actually forgive that as the band sounded like they simply ran out of breath and needed to slow down. Still, despite the flaw of this album it's a wonderful album, but I don't buy in to the hype that this is the greatest prog album ever. Still, if your idea of prog rock are the bands that play it safe (Moody Blues, Barclay James Harvest, Locanda Delle Fate, Renaissance, etc.) then this probably isn't for you, but if you like the more hard-edge side of ELP, King Crimson, and Van der Graaf Generator as well as Italian bands like Osanna, Biglietto Per L'Inferno, Semiramis, and Museo Rosenbach (but even harsher), you're sure to love this. By the way the CD reissue I have has a 1973 bonus cut, "La Tua Casa Comada" (apparently originally released as a single). This one is truly much more sophisticated, more symphonic, almost reminding me a bit of the New Trolls Atomic System album (but with no flute). Had Il Balletto followed Ys with a full-length LP, they might have pulled off another great album, even if that song was any indication where they were headed.

The group did release a previous album (with a different lineup) in 1970 on RCA called Sirio 2222, but that one's said to be of little interest to prog rock rock fans, as it's supposedly a more hard rock/psych offering (it took a little longer for prog rock to get underway in Italy, that is not until 1971/'72). It's with Ys that the prog rock community associates these guys with.

BTW, I discovered what Ys meant. Ys was a part of Celtic folk legend, a town in Armorica (Brittany) where the city drowned due to the sins of the townsfolk. Basically, a Celtic version of Atlantis, more or less. But of course, there's completely nothing even remotely Celtic-sounding about Il Balletto di Bronzo's Ys, sticking squarely in the prog rock (with hard rock elements) vein. Whether the lyrics were about Ys, I cannot say, as it's all in Italian.

This is quite rightly rated as one of THE masterpieces of Italian progressive rock. There is some nice mellotron between the more furious passages of distorted keyboards, guitar and jazzy percussion. It easily recalls the darkness, chaos and atmospheric power of early King Crimson. It runs the gamut from heavy prog, to hard rock, to symphonic. Every aspect of 70's prog rock can be found on this superb album. It does tend to be more "trippy" and mind-bending than the other famed, classically-influenced Italian progs. I personally prefer Museo Rosenbach or early PFM, but this work is full of invention, great instrumental excursions and constant surprises. The contrasts between the sombre, mellow, hypnotic sections and the powerful explosions are top notch! Plus there's some very spooky passages!!! If you can live with Italian vocals, this is a progressive CLASSIC. Get it.

On their second album, Il balletto di Bronzo switched over from their more hard-rock style of "Sirio 2222" and charged fully ahead into the incredible epic that is "Ys." The full effect is most definately throttling to all parts of the psyche. In many ways it is an operettic symphonic theater piece(the entire album consists of one work in four parts). A delicate balance exists betwixt the vocal and jam sections. The beginning is dreamily seductive with echoplexed female voices waving in and out of phase with eachother, then the jam-heavy scoring kicks in and glues you to your seat. Lyrics give you a respite(although only a slight one!) as the sheer monstrosity that is it's musicality whomps back in and morphs you into a jellylike form. Recurring themes make this a self-referential, absorbing, truly mind-altering experience. Listen to this one in the dark and put you goggles on because the panning effects can and will induce the euphoric feeling of flight.

I think the best way to describe the group, as far as "Ys" is concerned, is "horror baroque." Much of the talent comes from the crazy keyboardist who revolts so effectively against boring Italian groups like PFM. Without a doubt, this is the most progressive of all rock recordings and refuses to sound dated after almost 30 years. In fact, it sounds like it came from 30 years in the future (not that I don't love dated music). Close your eyes and you can easily imagine being chased through the Black Forest by sexy alpine witches. In fact, just look at Black Sabbath's debut album cover and you'll get the idea. I can't imagine anyone not owning this album, that is unless you're an alanis fan...

Italy had it's fair share of good prog rock bands. some of the bigger ones that spring to mind are Goblin, PFM, or Banco. those bands put out some great music but never really broke new ground that wasn't already being dug into by other bands like King Crimson, Yes, etc. not that the Italians were ripping off anyone's style, but they all seemed to have their place safely within "mainstream" prog circles. but for those who can appreciate some of the more "out there" style of prog rock from bands like Magma, or even Japan's Hundred Sights Of Koenji, then this album from Il Balletto Di Bronzo comes highly recommended. there is a manic, and frantic kind of mood to this record, esp. in the synthesizers. it sounds like the keyboard player couldn't keep his hands still; but his playing is fabulous and his sound manages to push the songs into an even higher stratoshpere. the guitars are also cool and very acid rock with some surprisingly heavy licks that wouldn't sound out of place in some of today's more angular post-rock groups. the vocals range from morose crooning to creepy gang choruses and of course, operatic bellowing. but it's all in good taste and shows great talent and an ear for variety. these songs are long, drawn out epics full of twists and turns that make me feel like i'm in some kind of torch-lit Italian catacombs searching for an exit. Y's is a dark and powerful rock and roll record that reveals new strange worlds with each listen. killer band photos, too, by the way. love the wooly boots!

Think of PFM on a bad acid trip, and you have a good idea what this album sounds like. A pummeling (some might say punishing) musical journey through instrumental dissonance and over-the-top vocals sung in Italian, the album leads you through the kind of nightmarish dirges you might hear after passing out from too much Italian wine and too many spicy meatballs. Not to say that these players aren't talented (a very high standard of musicianship here, typical of most Italian progsters), but YS lacks much of the beauty, depth and nuance of PFM's best early work. Still recommended, though, for the more adventurous '70s prog fanatic.

My english is not very good(i'm in México), but here i go... By listening to Ys its easy to understand why it became a leyend. For a 1972 recording, it sounds pretty new. Ys is a rock opera about an old, technified city (five tracks), but this edition contains a bonus track named "La tua casa comoda", where they used a Xilophone or something similar, that results in a great moment for the ears.
The bass is just great, from jazz to crazy prog to lead... You can hear a lot of instruments with keyboards, like mellotron or piano. Those instruments gives Ys a touch of greatness.
The album sounds a little bit dark and psychodelic, but in general is classic Italian prog.
***
Español: Al escuchar Ys es fácil comprender por qué se convirtió en una leyenda. El sonido suena bastante adelantado para 1972. Se trata de una ópera rock sobre Caldea, una vieja ciudad altamente tecnifizada (5 pistas), pero esta edición contiene la pista adicional "La tua casa comoda", en la que se puede escuchar un xilófono o algo parecido, que el oído agradece. Destaca el bajo, que por momentos va bastante cargado de jazz, ejecuta caprichosas figuras progresivas y por momentos lleva la voz cantante. Hace una buena pareja con los instrumentos de teclado. Buena parte de su grandeza se desprende de esa mancuerna.
Encuentro que puede sonar un poco oscuro por momentos y sicodélico también, en parte gracias a los coros.

THIS IS SIMPLE: IF YOU HAVEN'T HEARD THIS MASTERPIECE, YOU DON'T KNOW REALLY THE POWER AND GLORY OF THE ITALIAN ROCK SCENE OF THE SEVENTIES. IT HAS IT ALL THAT MAKES UNFORGETTABLE THIS PERIOD: LOTS OF KEYWORDS, EXCELLENT GUITAR WORK, UNBELIEVABLE VOICE WORK AND SOLID/FLEXIBLE BASS & DRUM WORK.

The music on "YS" is a curious blend of Egg's debut album (1970); "In the Wake of Poseidon (1970) (King Crimson); and ELP circa "Pictures at an Exhibition" (1972). However, despite the fact that much of "YS" actually sounds very "Egg-ish", this is unquestionably a unique (and exceptionally dark) work of progressive rock that boasts some superhuman organ and synthesizer playing, and intricate ensemble work. What surprised me the most about "YS" was the somewhat "polite" dissonance, which is intimated through the use of arrangements with a lot of half steps in them, blistering Hammond organ parts, heavy bass playing, thundering (and sometimes electronically altered) percussion, and distorted guitar. This "politeness" is furthered through the inclusion of haunting Mellotron, "spacey" and "ghostly" passages of multi-tracked voices, "jazzy" bass lines (yet interpreted and played by a rock musician), and Baroque period influenced keyboard parts. The vocals (in Italian) although powerful, are never harsh or abrasive, and work really well within the material. "YS" is truly a classic of the Italian scene and should be considered as one of the archetypes of Italian progressive rock. Highly recommended.

Contrary to other reviews presented below, I do not find this disc to be among the "classic" Italian prog-rock recordings. What made bands like PFM, Le Orme, Banco del Mutuo Soccorso, Locande del Fatte and Museo Rosenbach (to name a few) so exceptional is that they were able to combine a strong melodic/compositional sense with stellar musicianship. Those bands also possessed strong vocalists which only served to further enhance the delivery of their collective efforts. Unlike those bands Balletto were not as strong compositionally. Their sense of melody is somewhat lacking, not bad just not up to the competition. The vocalist is also an acquired taste. The musicianship is quite strong throughout. This is a harder more disturbed sounding Italian prog-rock. Vander Graf Generator may be the best comparison one can make in regard to tone and scope. Not a classic, but still of interest...Simon